Our Team

A self-taught artist and entrepreneur, Melanie Royals has developed a reputation as a leading innovator, stencil designer and educator in the decorative finishing industry. She is the founder and creative force behind Royal Design Studio, the leading manufacturer of quality decorative stencils. Melanie has shared her passion and vast experience with numerous television appearances, books, instructional videos, websites and workshops. She helped to pioneer many looks and decorative treatments that have become industry staples, such as free form stenciling, allover and embossed patterns and layered pattern. Melanie developed the exclusive Extraordinary Stenciled Effects program that is now taught throughout the country at numerous studios. See all posts by this author →

Amisha is an architect, entrepreneur and a marketing specialist. Yep, even she still wonders at times how that happened 🙂 This unique blend emerged when she moved on from being an architect to co-founding The Green Elephant, a company that works to promote artisans from India. This endeavor introduced her to the creative and strategic aspects of marketing which intrigued and fascinated her and led to achieving a professional marketing certificate from UCSD. Amisha knows that at Royal Design Studio she will be able to merge her passion for design, love of art and creative marketing strategies together to create something beautiful. See all posts by this author →

Regina Garay started her own decorative painting business, Garay Artisans, in 1998 and in 2007, started writing the Fauxology blog to share her obsession with all things design, pattern, painting and finishing. Her blog writing efforts led to being immersed in the world of social media and armed with this knowledge, started helping the creative companies she worked with maximize their blogging, blog outreach and digital marketing efforts in 2011. These days she finds joy sharing her passion for both creative marketing and creative design with her company, SociaComm. See all posts by this author →

Deb Trombley lives near Chicago, where she decorates with finds from global travels and does DIYs inspired by design from cultures around the world. She is enthusiastic about patterns: carved in wood, set in stone, painted on walls and woven in textiles. Deb and her husband have a second home apartment in India, where she seeks inspiration for finishing its construction and decorating it with global style. She shares these design adventures at her blog, Nomadic Decorator. See all posts by this author →

Debbie Dion Hayes graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BA in Fine Arts, concentrating in painting. Upon graduating she began her artistic career as an illustrator and then moved into graphic design and marketing. She is a nationally recognized and published faux finisher, a multi-continent traveler, and lover of all things related to style, design, paint and pattern. Debbie contributes to UnfoldedBlog.com and her newest blog is MyPatchOfBlueSky.com. See all posts by this author →

Jennifer Rizzo is the artist/designer and owner of Jennifer Rizzo Design Company. She retails her handmade home décor and jewelry on-line and in boutiques and retail stores across the Untied States. She has been featured in, and has produced projects for over 20 publications such as for Country Living Magazine and RomanticHomes. Jennifer teaches in-person creative hands-on classes and on-line art e-courses, and speaks at conferences and for women\’s groups. She writes a popular lifestyle blog Jenniferrizzo.com where she shares DIY and creative living ideas. Her first book, Creatively Christmas was released October 2014. She lives just outside of Chicago in the \’burbs with her husband and three children and lots of projects waiting to be worked on.See all posts by this author →

Angie graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in marketing and also studied Interior Design at Watkins College of Art and Design in Nashville. She has been involved in the retail side of paints and patterns since she was a teenager beginning work in the family paint and wallpaper shop. For 13 years she and her husband owned their own paint and decorating shop in Nashville where she enjoyed working with paints, fabrics, wallpapers, and accessories on a daily basis with their customers. Currently she works part time in the family business, does design consulting, and shares projects, reviews, and design ideas on her blog Postcards from the Ridge. See all posts by this author →

Danielle Driscoll has been creating and writing for as long as she can remember, with an undergraduate degree in Theater Arts and English from Mount Holyoke College to a MA degree in Film and Television Production from the University of Bristol in England. It was on both these courses that she became interested in painting, decorating and pattern. She founded her blog, Finding Silver Pennies, in 2011, which focuses on upcycling treasures from the beach to the side of the road, treasure hunting tips, restoration of an antique home by the sea and life with three boys and a rescue dog. She sells her painted furniture online and through local galleries in Scituate, MA.

Power suits were traded for colorful flip flops when a relocation to Florida set the stage for an opportunity to dramatically downsize and simplify the family lifestyle. Choosing to follow in the family footsteps of creativity and art, Wendi uses her barrier island 1950’s waterside bungalow, as the stage for her creative outlet and blog, H2OBungalow. Using everything from paint to power tools, Wendi tackles one DIY project at a time to create a fabulous coastal home with charm.

Wendi has been featured in Southern Living, HGTV’s DIY and Good Housekeeping. She is also a quarterly contributor for Habitat For Humanities international blog Restore. Wendi and her husband live with their two cats and a spoiled boxer dog. In addition to relaxing with a paint brush or out thrift store hunting, you’re likely to find Wendi with her husband exploring Florida’s beautiful Coast on their sailboat or plotting a course for their next adventure. See all posts by this author →

In addition to launching two e-books and a podcast, Susan is the creator of the humorous and inspirational frugal living website, LivingRichonLess.com. There she chronicles her latest thrifty decorating projects. She specializes in DIY artwork and creating elegant décor on a tight budget. She believes effort and imagination are the two main ingredients for a beautiful home. Susan holds degrees in psychology, communications, and public relations. She’s worked as a professional journalist for nearly 15 years and her writing, photography and design have received national recognition. Susan lives with her husband, children and Irish terrier in the mountains of Pennsylvania. See all posts by this author →